Drive mechanism



April 26, 1938. w. T. cAPPs 1mm: MECHANISM Original Filed June 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 7 Washington T Cap p.5 BY J J ATTORN S.

April 26, 1938. w. T. cAPPs' 2,115,517

DRIVE MECHANISM Original Filed June 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRIVE MECHANISM Original application June 29, 1934, Serial No.

Divided and this application December 22, 1936, Serial No. 117,122

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a drive mechanism, and in particular to drive mechanism utilized to operate the several conveyors of a locomotive stoker.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel drive mechanism which comprises a driving member and a pair of driven members, one of said driven members at all times being in operative relation with said driving member while the other driven member is maintained in operative relation with said driving member through the intermediacy of a manually operable clutch device.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a suitable casing for such drive mechanism, such casing containing a congealable lubricant for said mechanism and being provided with means for maintaining such lubricant in a fluid state.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention as embodied in a locomotive stoker, and in which drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view with parts shown in section of a stoker embodying my invention, showing the same in operative relation to a locomotive tender, parts of which are shown;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the stoker embodying my present invention with parts shown in section;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the gearing with the gear box removed and its cover shown in ele vation;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the gear box or casing showing the clutch in engaging position; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing he clutch disengaged.

Referring now to these drawings, l designates a portion of the locomotive frame, 2 the cab deck, 3 the backhead, 4 the firing opening, and 5 a portion of the rear cab wall of a locomotive, and i3 designates a portion of the tender structure, 6a a portion of the front Wall thereof, and l the tail or slope sheet of the coal bunker thereof, while A designates the stoker as a whole, which comprises a conveyor or feed unit A on the tender, an elevator or delivery unit A on the locomotive, and a transmission or transfer connection or unit A between such conveyor and elevator units.

The conveyor unit A on the tender comprises a fixed trough-shaped conduit 8 arranged beneath the shovel sheet or floor A of the fuel bunker or coal bin of the tender and in communication therewith through a longitudinally extending slot or opening A in said floor. In this conduit or trough 8 is arranged a helical conveyor screw 9 which feeds the fuel forward to the transfer unit A from which it is delivered to the elevator unit A In practice, the fuel discharge slot or opening A in the floor A is provided with adjustable 'cover plates or slides, which may be opened or closed at any point desired along the length of the opening to regulate the discharge of fuel.

The trough 8 is arranged mainly at one side of the longitudinal center of the deck or floor A in order that a comparatively wide space or platform portion A may be provided at the opposite side of the longitudinal center of the floor to afford greater room and convenience for the use of the fireman in shoveling coal for emergency manual stoking operations and to place the parts 20 of the stoker conveyor mechanism in proper operating alinement. The elevator or delivery unit A which comprises a conduit Ill having a conveyor screw ll disposed therein, is, on the other hand, arranged in the vertical plane of the longi- 5 tudinal center or axis of the locomotive, so that the longitudinal axes of the units A and A lie in different vertical planes, one displaced laterally to one side of a central vertical plane bisecting the locomotive and tender and the other axially coincident with such vertical plane.

The transfer unit A which comprises a conduit section I2 having a conveyor screw it disposed therein, extends at an angle to the bisect- 35 ing vertical plane between the units A and A and is provided at its rear end with an offset portion l4 communicating with the side of the conveyor facing the bisecting vertical plane and formed at its rear end with an entrance-way and coupling member or connection l5 receiving a tubular projection I 6 forming a fuel outlet and coupling member or connection at the forward end of the trough or conduit section 8. The arrangement is thus such that the fuel fed forward from the conduit 8 by the conveyor screw 9 passes into the oifset inlet M at the rear end of the intermediate conduit [2 from which it is conveyed forwardly by the feed screw l3.

The screw conveyor 9 is not in driving connection at its forward end with the rear end of the screw conveyor I 3, but is driven from the same source of power. The screw conveyor E3, on the other hand, is coupled by a universal joint 24 to the rear end of the screw conveyor H and therefore transmits driving motion thereto, the arrangement being such that the coal fed from the conduit 8 by the conveyor 3 passes through the offset inlet M from the conduit 8 into the conduit l2 and is continuously fed forward to the distributor A through the conduits i2 and ID by the action of the conveyor screws I3 and H. The mechanism for driving the screw conveyors comprises a driving motor 25 which transmits motion to a primary or drive shaft 26 which transmits the driving power to drive gearing arranged in a gear box or casing 2'! arranged at the rear end of the trough or conduit ii. The shaft 25 may be of telescopic type and connected by universal or other flexible joints to the engine and primary drive element of the gearing so that it may have the necessary expanding, contracting and flexing motions under running conditions of the tender.

The gearing enclosed in the gear box comprises a primary shaft 25 driven by the driving shaft 23, a shaft 29- for driving the screw conveyor 9, a shaft 38 universally jointed to a shaft 35, extending alongside the trough 3 and universally jointed to the conveyor l3, for driving the conveyors I3 and H, a longitudinally sliding clutch shaft 32 provided with a clutch member 32 to engage a clutch member 28 on the shaft 29 and normally held in clutch engaging position by a spring 33, a transmission shaft 34, intermeshing gears 35 and 35 on the shafts 28 and 34, intermeshing gears 38 and 35' on the shafts -34 and 32, and intermeshing gears 37 and 3? on the shafts 32 and 30, the arrangement being such that when shaft 32 is in clutch engagement with the shaft 29 motion will be transmitted from the motor drive shaft for driving both shafts 29 and 30 simultaneously, whereby feed motion will be transmitted to all screw conveyors, while when shaft 32 is moved rearwardly to disengage the clutch 29', the shaft 29 will be operatively disconnected therefrom and the screw conveyor 9 will not be driven, but the gears will maintain a meshing engagement for the driving of the shaft 3% and the screw conveyors in the transfer and elevating conduits driven thereby.

Thus it will be understood that in the event of the clogging or derangement of the conveyor unit A, whereby the feed of coal therethrough by the conveyor 9 is arrested, the gearing may be disengaged from driving connection with said conveyor and the conveyors in the transfer and elevating units A and A operated to feed coal therethrough to the firebox, in which operation the coal from the source of supply on the tender may be manually supplied to the working units of the stoker. In practice the ratio of the gearing in the gear box is preferably such that in the case of a two-cylinder double-acting motor of approximately 590 R. P. M. the conveyor screws H and I3 will be driven at a rate of speed from fifteen to twenty-five percent faster than the screw 9, the increased rate of speed of the conveyors H and I3 with. respect to that of the other conveyor 9', adapting them to be used for emergency purposes to deliver with the amount of coal being fed up by the conveyor 9 an additional amount shoveled in to the elevator conduit by the fireman. This is of advantage, also, where the coal contains a high percentage of large lumps and sufficient coal can not be handled by the conveyor 9, in which case the fireman may overcome the difiiculty by shoveling sufiicient coal to make up that required to feed the locomotive.

In order to allow hand stoking to be readily carried out when necessary the lower end of the elevator conduit is provided with an expanded, hopper-like portion 38 normally closed by a hinged cover 39, the mouth or inlet of which hopper is arranged above the cab deck so that the fireman can have convenient access thereto. The rear end of the transfer mechanism may also be provided with an opening 40 normally closed by a detachable cover plate 4| which may be opened to permit access to its inlet end.

It often occurs on locomotives in passenger service, which are coaled with a high percentage of large lump coal, that in coaling the locomotive tender a large proportion of the lump coal clogs at the coal gates and at the forward end of the conveyor trough 8, making it at times very dinicult to obtain the feed of a sufficient amount of coal for consumption through the conveyor system. My invention overcomes this difficulty, as it allows manual stoking to be used in conjunction with automatic stoking, and in a very simple manner convenient to the fireman, and provides a mechanical stoker of great flexibility to suit varying conditions of service, since, in the event of deficient feeding, or of maximum stoking being required, the amount of coal supplied to the firebox may be augmented by hand action, while, even in the event of the conveyor 9 becoming broken or inoperative, the conveyors H and I3 may be employed in conjunction with hand feeding to furnish an ample supply of fuel to the locomotive. This is of very great advantage especially in connection with passenger locomotives, where delays must be reduced to the minimum.

In practice the gearing in the gear box or casing 2! is preferably enclosed in an air-tight manner, and all those bearings which tend to allow leakage are suitably packed or sealed. or in the form of blind bushings or glands, so that a store of lubricant may be kept in the gear case. For the purpose of keeping this lubricant in a suitable fluid state in cold weather, a pipe connection 42 may be supplied for conducting exhaust steam from the locomotive boiler to a chamber 8!] which is formed in the cover 27a of the gear casing 21. I may employ in practice any suitable means for operating the clutch shaft to throw the feed screw 9 into and out of action, that shown in the present instance comprising a shift lever 43 connected to the outer end of the shaft 32 and coupled by a connecting rod 44 with an operating hand lever or other suitable operating device M mounted at or near the front end of the tender so that the clutch shaft may be readily and conveniently operated by the fireman.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that while the drive mechanism of the herein described construction is of undoubted utility in connection with stokers, its use is not limited to the embodimerit disclosed and may be used to advantage in numerous installations requiring a pair of independently operable driven members.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 733,142, filed June 29, 1934, for improvements in Locomotive stokers.

I claim:

1. Drive mechanism comprising a pair of driven members, drive means for such members including a shaft operatively connected with one of said driven members, a gear on said shaft in driving relation therewith, a power actuated gear meshing with said first named gear for rotating said first named gear and said shaft, a clutch member mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a

clutch member operatively connected with the other of said driven members, said shaft, gear and the clutch member thereof being movable as a unit in positions to cause engagement and disengagement of the clutch members whereby the second named driven member may be respectively engaged in and disengaged from an operative relation with said shaft, the gear on said shaft, during movement thereof, maintaining its meshing relation with said power actuated gear whereby the first named driven member is at all times in driving relation with said power actuated gear.

2. Drive mechanism comp-rising a pair of driven members, drive means for such members including a shaft operatively connected with one of said driven members, a gear on said shaft in driving relation therewith, a power actuated gear meshing with said first named gear for rotating said first named gear and said shaft, a clutch member mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith,

a clutch member operatively connected with the other of said driven members, said shaft, gear and the clutch member thereof being movable as a unit in positions to cause engagement and disengagement of the clutch members whereby the second named driven member may be respectively engaged in and disengaged from an operative relation with said shaft, the gear on said shaft, during movement thereof, maintaining its meshing relation with said power actuated gear whereby the first named driven member is at all times in driving relation with said power actuated gear, and a casing for housing said drive mechanism, said casing containing a congealable lubricant, and means for maintaining such lubricant in a fluid state comprising a chamber associated with said casing, and means for conducting a heating fluid to said chamber.

WASHINGTON T. CAPPS. 

